The Ties That Bind
by Thorin-Oakenbutt
Summary: Dimaera, a half elf half dwarf, is pulled into a quest to reclaim Erebor when a certain wizard comes knocking at her door. The only thing compelling her to join the company is knowing that she will finally get revenge on the one who wiped out her clan. What she doesn't expect is that a certain dwarf will uncover all of her secrets, leaving her feeling exposed and drawn to him.
1. Of wolves and dwarves

It was a few hours before twilight; Dimaera had been traveling since dawn and the lack of rest was beginning to make her weary but she was determined to ride through the night and find an inn. She had almost fallen asleep atop her horse three times in the past hour, the forest around here was peaceful and there were few dangers lurking in these woods due to it being so close to civilization. Despite this, she took comfort in knowing that her black bow and quiver hung across her back while her finely crafted sword hung in its sheath by her side. She also had daggers tucked into the back of her trousers and one tucked into her right boot.

Dimaera was beginning to wonder when she would finally be out of this forest and into a warm bed when she heard whispers coming from nearby. She halted her horse and tilted her head to the side, trying to make out the voices but she found that she couldn't hear them clearly over the sound of the leaves rustling above her. Deciding to see who it was, she dismounted and led her horse over to a nearby tree.

"Wait here, my friend. Only come when I call." She whispered softly into its ear and patted the stallion's neck gently. His response was to gently nudge her arm with his head and dig at the ground softly using his hoof. Dimaera smiled and turned to where the voices where coming from before pulling her bow off of her back and nocking an arrow, just in case.

She moved silently, careful not to step on any twigs as she did so. The faint glow of a campfire radiated across the clearing and outlined the two figures sitting close by. Dimaera stopped in the shadows close to the clearing as she observed the two young men. Only they weren't men. They were dwarves.

Her attention was caught by something coming out of the shadows on the other side of the clearing. A pack of wolves had begun to advance on the oblivious dwarves who sat in deep discussion. Dimaera swore softly, by the time the dwarves even noticed the wolves it would be too late.

She stood straight and drew back her arrow but in doing so she accidently stood on a twig making the two dwarfs' heads snap towards her direction. She saw the wolves getting ready to pounce, seeing this as their chance so she shot the arrow. It whizzed past the two dwarves' heads and hit one of the wolves in the neck as it howled in pain. She quickly pulled another two arrows out of her quiver and killed two more, sending the rest of them fleeing for the shadows once more.

Both dwarves turned, staring in her direction. One of them held two finely crafted dwarven swords while the other held a skillfully made recurve bow. The one with the sword was the one who spoke first, "Who goes there?" Dimaera pulled her hood forward to cover her face more and took a tentative step into the clearing, aiming her own arrow at the one with the bow, figuring she would have to kill him first if they tried anything.

She ignored his question to ask one of her own, "Adhrug bên bâh? State your names." Both dwarves stood shocked for a moment, though Dimaera couldn't tell if it was because she spoke in Khuzdul or because she was a woman. At that point she didn't care.

"A woman?" Dimaera tightened her grip on her bow which didn't go unnoticed by the two young dwarfs. The one that spoke cleared his throat before taking a step forward and speaking again, she aimed her bow at him which didn't go unnoticed by his brother who tightened his grip on his own weapon. "My name is Fili and this is my brother, Kili" He gestured between them both as he spoke. "I think friend would be the wise choice."

Dimaera nodded and lowered her bow, taking a moment to take in their appearances. The one that spoke, Fili, had dirty blond hair that was pushed away from his face with braids on either side of his head. His youth was shown through his short blond beard, which also had braids in it on either side of his mouth. He was shorter than the other by a few inches and wore a brown cloak over his fur lined coat that was held in place with a large leather belt. His dark loose fit trousers were tucked into a pair of sturdy leather boots that stopped just above his calves and had various buckles on them.

His brother, however, seemed to be the complete opposite. He had dark brown hair that was left to flow free and reached just over his shoulders. Although he had a beard, it was very short and grew to the sides of his face to join with his hair; he wore no braids at all. A long overcoat with a hood covered his dark brown tunic and did not have fur like his brother's. His tunic ran to the length of his knees and revealed only a small part of the dark brown trousers tucked into leather boots much like his brother's but with less buckles. He also wore leather gloves that ended at the beginning of his fingers, making it easier for him to wield his bow, no doubt.

Dimaera offered them a small bow as she introduced herself, "Dimaera, at your service." The two relaxed slightly and watched as she walked over to the wolves and pulled her arrows out of their still-warm flesh. She could hear them whispering between themselves as she cleaned the blood from the arrows on the grass before placing them back in the quiver on her back. When she turned back to the two brothers they were staring at her expectantly.

"Is something wrong?" If she had not been wearing her hood, they would have seen her raised eyebrow and look of slight annoyance. Kili took a step forward from where they stood by the fire, "We were wondering if we could see the face of the woman who saved-"

"No." He was cut of briskly by her sudden outburst and both he and his brother stood in shock for a moment before Fili took a tentative step forward so that he stood next to his brother once again.

"May we ask why?" Dimaera folded her arms; she had always hated it when people questioned her hood, it was not that she was ashamed; it just scared her to think of how people would react once they saw her face.

"You may not." She didn't say it unkindly but something in her voice made them stop asking about it and instead divert their attention back to the wolves that lay dead behind her.

"We didn't thank you for saving us, no doubt we wouldn't have seen them in time" Fili nodded his heads towards the wolves. Dimaera nodded, "Think nothing of it"

"Nevertheless, we are very grateful." Dimaera nodded again before walking back the way she came into the clearing. She was stopped when Kili called her back, "Perhaps we could offer you some food to show our thanks?"

Dimaera stopped and turned to face them once again, considering the offer. It had been a long time since she had last sat and shared a meal with someone but she was wary of strangers and determined to ride through the night to find an inn.

She looked up at the sky; it was midnight by now which meant there likely wouldn't be an inn open at this time. She sighed, looking back at the two brothers who were watching her expectantly. "Fine, but know that if you try anything then I will not hesitate to kill you both without a second thought."

They both relaxed slightly before Kili spoke up, "Wouldn't dream of hurting a lady." She scoffed but went to sit by the fire anyway.

Kili sat by her while Fili stirred something inside a pot on the fire. "So if you're travelling somewhere then why is it that you don't have anything with you?" Dimaera looked at him from the shadow of her hood before looking in the direction she came from and whistled loudly.

Kili and Fili exchanged glances, wondering if she had other companions and if so then how many but before they could ask, a large white stallion emerged from the shadows of the trees. Dimaera stood and met the horse halfway, taking its reins and stroking its nose gently before leading it over to where sit by the fire.

"This is Khiluz," She gestured proudly to the stallion. Kili and Fili smiled, relieved that there weren't other travelers with her, they wouldn't have had enough to feed any more.

"Why did you name him that?" Dimaera turned to Kili who looked at her curiously; she wondered how to explain it to him. "He has been with me for many years and is my oldest and closest friend," was all she said but Kili felt there was more to it. He chose to leave it, deciding that it's her own business and if she wanted to tell him then she would.

Their conversation was cut short when Fili asked if she had a bowl to put the food in. Once she had given him the bowl and the food was served out, they sat around the fire eating silently.

Dimaera turned to look at Khiluz who was lying down nearby. She could tell he was glad to be resting after a long days ride; he looked much more at peace without the weight of a saddle and bags on his back. After two weeks on the road they were both exhausted. There were few villages between Forodwaith and The Shire so they had spent many nights sleeping on the hard ground, the only comfort they had found was in each other and the knowledge that they would soon be at their journey's end.

Her thoughts were cut off by the sound of someone clearing their throat. She looked around to find both Kili and Fili looking at her expectantly. "Men gajamu, I am not used to being around others, I forget that I am not alone with my thoughts as usual." She would have offered a small smile if her hood had not been covering her face.

They shrugged it off before Fili said "We were just wondering why it is that you are travelling alone and as late as it was when we met." She frowned, she had not been told much by Gandalf but he had sworn her to secrecy none the less. "There is business in these areas that I must attent to. Besides, I am not alone. Khiluz is as reliable as any; he just does more running than the average guard is all."

The last part earned a few chuckles from the two and she couldn't help but smile. It had been a long time since she had last laughed earnestly so she welcomed the feeling of content it brought with it. "I could ask the same about the two of you as well. I hear that dwarves are not often seen in these parts, what brings you?" Dimaera didn't miss the brief glance they shared before they looked at her.

"Just passing through actually" Came the reply from Kili, "Our weapons are in need of sharpening and provisions refreshing." Fili continued. Dimaera raised an eyebrow that went unseen by the two dwarfs but she didn't push them. Dwarves are a very secretive race after all.

Once she had finished her food, Dimaera wiped her bowl clean using a piece of cloth before placing it back in one of the saddle bags that now lay on the grass behind her. "It is getting very late indeed. I think it is time I should be moving on." She began to ease herself off of the ground when a sudden protest came from the brothers.

"It's much too dark to travel-" and "There won't be an inn open at this time" came from the two. She hesitated; she knew that there probably wouldn't be an inn open at this time and the dark would make it difficult to travel through the woods but she was hesitant to stay with strangers. Although, the looks on their faces told her that they wouldn't let her leave without an argument and she was much too tired for that so she slowly sat down again. They both sighed with relief and moved their bedrolls so that Dimaera could fit hers by the fire. Kili and Fili had both gotten comfortable on their own bedrolls by the time she had rolled hers out.

At first she was hesitant to fall asleep; the fact that she had not been around anyone in a long time and was now placed between two young dwarves had unsettled her. She was also aware that they could try to take off her hood while she slept and that set her on edge even more. It meant that she would have to be more aware of her surroundings during the night as she still did not trust them. Perhaps it was a bad idea to have accepted their offer.

For some reason those thoughts disappeared as she sat looking down at their sleeping figures. She suddenly felt like she could, and should, trust them but she wasn't sure if it was because they were dwarves or just because of the way they had shown concern for her earlier. She just _knew_ and that unsettled her even more.

"Lomil ghelekh." She whispered softly, wishing them a good night even though she knew they were already fast asleep. She lay down and quickly slipped into a deep slumber.

* * *

**So this is my first fic (ever) and I'm actually quite excited to see how it turns out. Quite glad I chose to do a Hobbit fic as my first one and I hope you guys like it. I wasn't really sure about this first chapter, I had to rewrite it about 10 times until I was happy with it so I'm kinda nervous to see what you guys think :L If I get anything wrong in my writing then feel free to correct me&reviews are more than welcome c: **

**I'm going to write any translations down here in the A/N at the end of every chapter so don't worry if you don't know what something means. I get all of the Khuzdul/elvish from websites/blogs so if I get it wrong then please don't get angry because it probably took me ages to find what I was trying to say in the first place.**

**Adhrug bên bâh = Friend or foe , Khiluz = Family , Men gajamu = My apologies/I apologize , Lomil ghelekh = Good night**


	2. An unexpected encounter

When Fili woke the next morning it was to the sight of Dimaera getting ready to depart from their small camp. She was tightening the straps of her saddle bags on her horse at the time and didn't seem to notice the two dwarves waking.

He cleared his throat as he stood up and began to stretch, the muscles in his back cracking loudly while Kili was still sat on his bedroll wiping the sleep from his eyes. Dimaera turned back to the brothers once she had finished readying her horse. "I was beginning to wonder if you would ever wake"

Fili chuckled, "We're usually up at dawn but then again we're usually asleep before twilight" He gave her a mock pointed look before smiling. Dimaera chuckled quietly, "My apologies, next time I'll just leave the wolves to you shall I?"

"Nonsense, it was a pleasure to be saved by you" Kili smiled and Fili stopped packing his bedroll away to nod in agreement." Dimaera's smile went unseen from beneath her hood but they could hear it in her voice nonetheless. "The pleasure is mine; it has been a long time since I last had the joy of eating with company."

"Then we're glad you chose to stay with us!" Kili was grinning, his cheeriness rubbing off onto Dimaera who chuckled lightly. "As am I" The two dwarves had finished packing away while they spoke, Dimaera took her horses reins in her hand and heard a quiet thud as Fili's boot connected with Kili's leg. "We could walk you back to the path if you like? We're going towards town anyway" She simply nodded before motioning for them to lead the way.

They walked in a comfortable silence; the only sound was from their feet as they stepped on dried leaves and twigs as well Khiluz's occasional sighs. It wasn't long before Kili's curiosity got the better of him, "Where is it you got that bow of yours? It's a fine weapon" He was walking slightly behind Dimaera and had been admiring her hand crafted bow for a while before he had the courage to ask.

Dimaera didn't turn to look at him but Fili could see her hand tighten on the horse's reins from the corner of his eye. "It belonged to my mother" Was all she said. Her voice slightly strained as she kept her gaze straight ahead. Fili gave his brother a pointed look as if to tell him not to ask any more questions.

Kili scowled at the ground, confused as to her sudden change in mood but he dropped it nonetheless and they didn't speak again until they came upon the path that led out of the forest.

The brothers watched silently as Dimaera gracefully mounted her horse before looking down to face them. "It was a pleasure to meet you both; I'm grateful for the meal and a place to rest, I hope that I can one day repay your kindness."

"The pleasure was ours Lady Dimaera," Said Kili, "We look forward to the day we meet again" Continued Fili. Dimaera hummed in agreement, "I have a feeling we will be meeting again sooner than any of us think" She nodded goodbye before turning her horse around and gently tapping his side with her boot so that he moved at a gallop.

Kili and Fili stood watching as she disappeared around a corner. "Is it just me or did her name sound familiar to you?" Fili turned to his brother and frowned, "Aye, but I can't remember where I heard it"

They stood contemplating for a moment before Kili elbowed his brother in the side, "Come on, we still have a few hours before we get there and I don't want to be the last to arrive."

* * *

Her encounter with the dwarf brothers left Dimaera feeling slightly anxious but also mildly amused. She couldn't help but wonder if they would be part of the group she would be meeting later that night, although, Gandalf had not mentioned any dwarves when he had told her of this quest. In fact, he hadn't mentioned a lot of things-except where to go-such as how long this quest would take, where it would take her, and who she was actually going to accompany.

She scoffed aloud when she remembered how Gandalf had found her and _convinced_ her to join him and his mystery companions.

_It was in the middle of the night when she had returned to her home after a long hunting trip; cold and tired, she just wanted to strip off her mud stained clothes and sleep for a week but as soon as she took a step through the door she knew that she was not alone. Dimaera sighed, he never learned. _

"_You should know better than to try to sneak up on me, Gandalf." A low chuckle filled the room as he stepped out of the shadows beside the fireplace. Dimaera smiled, he still looked the same; tall pointy hat, long unkempt beard, dusty grey robes and a wooden staff almost as tall as he is. _

"_Yes, but I find it rather amusing how you never fail to know it's me" She hummed in agreement before walking over and embracing him tightly, his arms wrapped around her and gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze. "It's been too long, my friend." _

"_It has indeed although I can't help to wonder what mischief has brought you to me this time" She pulled away, raising an eyebrow and smirked at him when he gave her a sheepish expression. _

"_Can't a wizard just visit an old friend without being accused of mischief?" Dimaera scoffed and sat down in a chair by the fire place, offering him a seat as well. _

"_How many times have you come here whilst having the intention to 'just visit'?" The wizard laughed but didn't object while he watched her put a kettle over the fire. "Tell me, mellonamin, what brings you to my home? Another thrilling quest you wish for me to take part in? It has been a while since I last went on one"_

"_It is indeed a quest, though I am uncertain of whether you will join me on this one" Dimaera raised an eyebrow as she looked him over skeptically, she did not like the tone in his voice and it made her wary of what this quest would include. The kettle had begun to whistle, she didn't reply until she had poured two cups of chamomile tea out for the both of them. _

_Se had held out a cup for Gandalf, which he gratefully took, and held hers in both hands as she lent back in her chair and narrowed her eyes at him. "Pray tell, what is it this time and who else will I be accompanying?" _

"_There is a meeting in the Shire in a month's time, should you choose to join this quest then all details will be revealed then. But for now, all I can say is this; this is no ordinary quest, it will require much strength and courage as well as patience, honor and a clear mind. There is also something else you may want to know if you do intend on joining this quest." _

_Her interest had piqued greatly, he would usually give her all of the details as soon as they sat and discussed the quest but his secrecy had intrigued her. She had placed her cup of untouched tea on the nearby table and was leaning towards him in her chair. "Go on"_

_She had expected him to smirk at his ability to interest her so easily but his face was deadly serious as he watched her reaction closely "There may be a chance for you to take your revenge"_

Of course that had been what made her set her mind on joining this quest; she had been waiting over a hundred and fifty years to get her revenge and now she had the chance. This was what had kept her alive all these years, what had made her train until she was too exhausted to even crawl into bed at night. This was it and she would not miss it if Mahal himself had tried to stop her.

It was still light when Dimaera reached Hobbiton and she was determined to find to find a smithy where she could get her weapons sharpened before heading off to Bag End where this meeting was supposedly held. She first had to find an inn where she could leave Khiluz to rest. She found one not an hour later and had paid the stable boy but not before warning him to be careful as her horse was wary of strangers and dangerous when spooked.

She had also found the smithy quickly after following the directions given to her by a kind stall keeper in the market, she was told her weapons would be ready in a few hours and left for the inn she left Khiluz after paying the smithy.

Dimaera was now sat at a table in the corner of the inn as she slowly ate her stew and bread, occasionally sipping on her pint of ale. She paid no interest in the hobbits around her as her mind was still trying to grasp the idea that she would finally get to kill the one that had torn her family from life and left her alone in the world with nothing but scars and a simmering rage that could melt rock.

She was torn from her thoughts when the noise in the inn had been reduced to a quiet murmur and heavy footsteps approached her. She stiffened and her hand instinctively gripped the hilt of her sword. But the footsteps stopped a few tables away and her shoulders relaxed as she heard whoever it was sit down.

She heard a deep voice, one that was much too deep to be hobbit or man and looked up to find herself being stared down by yet another dwarf. Despite him not being able to see her face under her hood, he caught her gaze and narrowed his eyes at her. She stiffened for the second time, this dwarf was much bigger and no doubt stronger than Kili and Fili and something in her told her that she had met him before, although, she couldn't quite remember where.

She turned her gaze back to her food and heard a loud grunt of amusement coming from the direction of the dwarf and it made her scoff. She didn't like arrogance and she certainly didn't like being stared down but something told her to drop it and she was glad he did too. Something about this dwarf left her feeling wary of him, like she _knew_ how good he was in battle and did not want to test her skills against him despite how good she was. He had also been the third dwarf she had seen within two days and she had a feeling they had something to do with this meeting she was going to.

She downed the rest of her ale and left a few coins on the table before pushing her chair back loudly and leaving the inn, unaware of the gaze that followed her as she pulled her hood forward to further shield her face.

The sun was only just setting as she walked to the smithy to collect her weapons and the sky quickly grew dark after she thanked the blacksmith and began to walk towards Bag End. Her thoughts returned to the dwarf she had seen at the inn. She could tell, even when he was sitting, that he was larger than any dwarf she had seen before. The top of his head was covered in intricate tattoos while thick brown hair ran around the back and sides of his head to join his beard. He also had tattoos on both hands and carried a large warhammer as well as two axes strapped to his back. But she could not remember where she had recognized him from so she dropped it when she was pulled from her thoughts, suddenly realizing that she had no idea where the hobbit hole she was supposed to be going to was. She looked around to see if there was anyone around and stopped when she saw a couple walking up behind her.

"Excuse me; I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of the hobbit hole belonging to Bilbo Baggins?" They had stopped and exchanged a brief look that Dimaera knew all too well. "I am a friend visiting from Bree but it has been a long time since I last came to these parts and I have forgotten the way." She guessed that lying would produce a better reaction and the couple seemed to have relaxed a bit before they answered, much to her relief.

"Just go up to the top of the hill and take a right, he's got a green door with a brass knob. Can't miss it" She bowed to the man and gave her thanks before setting off in the direction he had pointed but it turns out that many of the doors were green and had brass knobs so she had knocked on three of them before finally finding the right one, which she only knew was right from the glowing blue burglar's symbol on it.

* * *

Bilbo was in the middle of cooking his tea when a harsh knock sounded against his door three times. He frowned and took the pan off of the fire so that his fish didn't burn before walking to the door, although he was confused as to who it was as he hadn't invited anyone over for tea since last week.

He had expected it to maybe be his neighbour or even Hamfast Gamgee as he often dropped by unexpectedly, however, it was neither of these. When he opened the door, ready to greet whoever it was, he froze. In front of him stood a tall hooded figure whose face he couldn't see.

He could tell by their build that a woman. On her feet were brown leather boots that were up to the bottom of the knees and her shins were covered in metal plates. Her cloak blew in the wind to reveal that tucked into the boots were brown loose fit trousers that were secured with a leather belt holding many daggers and a sword hung from her right side. She also wore a brown leather corset that went up and around the neck, a hole was cut out of the material on her chest to reveal an intricately designed tattoo with one large symbol and many smaller ones around it, there were vines coming off around the symbols and the whole thing ran across the span of their chest, stopping at the shoulders.

There were no sleeves and on her shoulders were two more metal plates. The top of her arms were bare to reveal numerous scars, her hands covered with fingerless gloves that covered her forearms and also had a metal plate over the top. Each metal plate had small, intricate designs that were hard to spot if you weren't looking closely.

A large black bow and quiver was slung over her back which was covered with a dark cloak, it was when Bilbo's eyes reached the hood that shadowed the woman's entire face that he was snapped back to reality and he suddenly felt scared.

"Bilbo Baggins I presume?" Despite her looks, Bilbo hadn't expected her voice to sound so harsh and he flinched involuntarily. The woman sighed and bowed her head slightly, "My apologies, I don't mean to be rude. It has been a long journey and I am very tired. May I come in?"

He simply nodded and moved aside so that she could step past him. When she was inside she made no move to remove her cloak and turned back to the hobbit that stood staring up at her from in front of the closed door. "Dimaera, at your service" She offered a low bow and watched as he pulled his robe around him, tying it up with a piece of silk before he bowed in return.

"Bilbo Baggins, at yours. I'm sorry but what are you doing here?" Dimaera folded her arms and gazed at the hobbit skeptically. He only stared up at her confusedly in return.

"You don't know?" Bilbo thought she sounded as confused as he did.

"Know what?" His brows furrowed even more and it made Dimaera chuckle.

"I have a feeling this will be a very entertaining night. I am only your first guest, Master Baggins, more will come but I ask that you do not tell any that I am here." He was about to ask her why but as soon as he opened his mouth, the doorbell rang from behind him making him jump. When he looked back, Dimaera had disappeared and he was left to greet his new guest alone.

He didn't know what to expect when he opened his door for another uninvited guest but he surely never thought it would be a dwarf. It was the same dwarf that had been staring at Dimaera earlier at the inn.

"Dwalin," He offered a low bow, not breaking eye contact with the hobbit "at your service."

"Bilbo Baggins," He said, making sure his robe was properly tied, "At yours." The burly dwarf ducked as he stepped through the door. "Do we know each other?"

The dwarf stared at him indifferently, "No" Was all he said before he walked past the confused hobbit and threw off his cloak, "Which way laddie? Is it down here?"

"Is what down where?" The dwarf turned to Bilbo and threw his cloak at him.

"Supper," He said it as if Bilbo should have already known what he was talking about, "he said there'd be food and lots of it."

Bilbo was now utterly confused, taking two steps after Dwalin, he asked "H-he said? Who said?"

* * *

Dimaera had gone in search of a quiet corner she could sit and observe the others from as they arrived. She decided on a chair in the hall way as it was perfectly shadowed so that she wouldn't easily be seen but also positioned so that she could see directly into the dining room and the rest of the hallway as she knew that the first thing the dwarves would do upon arriving would be to eat, drink and sing.

She stiffened as she saw the dwarf from the inn earlier. He was walking-more like stomping in Dimaera's opinion- around as if looking for something. He had removed his cloak and weapons and yet he seemed even more menacing to her, if that was even possible. She watched him closely as he moved about, she could tell he would be the main opposing figure to her joining this quest, if she did choose to join that is, just by the way he held himself.

"I found it!" He stood up straight in the middle of the hallway calling back to someone in another room. "Balin!" Her eyes widened and fists clenched at the name as she suddenly remembered where she knew him from, the second dwarf only confirming her suspicions as she watched him walk through the door and immediately recognized him.

She swore internally and was almost tempted to punch the wall as she realized if those two were here, then _he_ would soon follow.

* * *

"That is a doily, _not_ a dishcloth!" Bilbo snatched the piece of fabric from the hands of whichever dwarf it was, he had lost track of which name belonged to which face and was getting quite frustrated with the rowdy vagabonds in his home.

"But it's full of holes..." One of the taller dwarves spoke from beside him. He had a funny hat that had two flaps on either side of his head and held a mug of ale to his chest.

Bilbo sighed, "It's supposed to look like that, it's crochet" He looked up at the dwarf as if he should already know this.

"And what a wonderful game it is too, if you've got the balls for it" Bilbo had quite enough of these dwarves and stomped his way past the dwarf to glare at a shelf and calm down as deep laughs came from those who had been listening.

"Confusticate these dwarves!"

Bilbo turned and looked up at the wizard with an annoyed expression as Gandalf walked past him and said "My dear Bilbo, what on earth is the matter?"

"What's the matter? I'm surrounded by dwarves! what are they doing in my house?" He groaned as he looked over to see two of them fighting over a string of sausages, spilling ale on the floor as they both tugged on the food.

"I think they are a merry gathering, once you get used to them." Gandalf looked down at Bilbo with an amused expression the hobbit reached up to put a hand on the wizard's back and lead him into the hallway.

"I don't want to get used to them!The state of my kitchen! There's mud trodden into the carpet," he gestured to the floor, "They've pillaged the pantry and I'm not even going to tell you what they've done in the bathroom, they've all but destroyed the plumbing!" Gandalf had followed Bilbo into the hallway and watched as he stomped into the middle of the carpet an turned back to face him. He waved his arms about as he all but shouted "I don't understand what they're doing in my house!"

Bilbo placed his hands on his hips and lets out an exasperated sigh as one of the younger, more innocent dwarves approached him. "Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt but what should I do with my plate?" Another dwarf appeared from the other side of Bilbo and made him jump as he spoke.

"Here you go, Ori, give it to me." He took the plate from his hand and threw it to a third dwarf that stood behind Gandalf who had to jump to the other side of the hallway to avoid being hit. This dwarf then threw it into the kitchen and turned back to catch another, throwing it in the same direction. Plates were now flying every where as Bilbo began to protest.

"Excuse me! That's my mother's best farthing pottery, it's over a hundred years old!" The dwarf who had thrown the plates in the kitchen was kicking a pot in the air before throwing it into the kitchen as done so before.

Bilbo begun to run around his hobbit hole trying to prevent the flying dishes from breaking as the dwarves still at the table started to bang their feet on the ground and hit the cutlery together. "C-can you not do that, you'll blunt them!"

"Oh, d'you hear that lads? He says we'll blunt the knives!" Singing started from behind Bilbo and he turned to see it was one of the dwarves who had started the plate throwing

_Blunt the knives bend the forks!_

_Smash the bottles and burn the corks!_

_Chip the glasses and crack the plates!_

_That's what Bilbo baggins hates!_

It wasn't long before all of the dwarves were joining in; singing and throwing things as well as creating music as they banged on tables, kicked cups and bowls into each room before they landed in the kitchen.

_Cut the cloth and trail the fat!_

_Leave the bones on the bedroom mat!_

_Pour the milk on the pantry floor!_

_Splash the wine on every door!_

Even the elder dwarves in the company began to join in with the singing and throwing although Balin didn't seem as amused as the others as he flicked his wrist and threw a cup in the air using the plate he was holding. Plates were sliding across the table as Dwalin picked them up and held them in front of him for Bombur to wipe using his hands and then they were slid down the other side of the table to be picked up and passed along a line of dwarves who then threw the plates and cups into the kitchen.

_Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl;_

_Pound them with a thumping pole;_

_And when you've finished, if they are whole,_

_Send them down the hall to roll!_

_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!_

The dwarves all laughed heartily as Bilbo pushed his way into the kitchen to find, much to his astonishment, neat piles of almost clean plates, bowls, cups and cutlery. Gandalf stood with his arms out and gave the hobbit an amused smile before sitting in a chair behind him. The dwarves laughed for a moment longer but stopped suddenly and turned as a heavy pounding came from the direction of the front door.

Their faces all fell serious, only Gandalf spoke as he lowered his pipe,"He is here..." No body noticed as Dimaera froze and fought the urge draw her sword.

* * *

**Okay so I know I said the update would only take a few days but I've had a lot to do lately with exams and family events so I apologize. I wasn't really quite sure about this chapter but I guess I'll let you guys decide on that. *hint*review*hint* ;) I hope you liked it nonetheless. I'm back at school now so updates won't be as often as I like because exams are coming and that means lots of revision but I have a lot of ideas for this fic so I'll be writing as often as I can. Thanks for the reviews on the first chapter as well, really helps to boost my confidence so I'll do my best for you guys c: **

**Mellonamin = my friend**


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